Well, let me just tell you, Israel is a beautiful country. Aside from seeing guards with a couple of AKs there has not been much else to startle me. The people I have met so far are more than nice and very friendly. Upon leaving the Tel Aviv airport we ventured into the very hot bus that took us an hour north to the kibbutz (which ultimately lies about 10 minutes outside of Tel Megiddo). That bus, oh man. No words for how hot that bus got. It was about 85 degrees outside and within 10 minutes of everyone piling in, the bus was about 105 and the outside balmy temperatures would have been a welcome chill. Regardless, the country side that we drove through was gorgeous, perfect weather and amazing views. I must admit, after two straight days of travaling, for the last 10 minutes of the ride I passed out, only to be startled awake to at the kibbutz. I was expecting some little hostel that is remote and small, but to my surprise it is actually like a small village. There are acres of little open houses and a tiny quite shop (I love a little shop). The food was not gourmet for dinner, but seeing as I had been living on airplane food for far too long I inhaled it. Note: hummus tastes better in the Middle East just for the sole reason that you are in the Middle East. It was all kosher of course, and hey, it was free so I cant complain.

Also, more free WiFi...if nothing else I love Israel for that.

Tomorrow the real fun starts, be at the bus that drives us to the tel at 4:40AM, and start weeding in area Q--a new area that has not been excavated since U of Chicago dug in the 1920s and is believed to be mainly inhabited by the Assyrians. We will be spending the first couple of days just weeding and preparing the area for digging because it has been so long. Sweet, love weeding, exactly what I came here for, but it is part of the process so I guess I have to experience it all.

My room and roommates are all nice, GW students, but our next door neighbors are British (who were pretty surprised with how in love I am with Dr. Who and Torchwood)--the room is small, but who cares, most of the time will be spent outdoors, and all we need is a bed. It is so much nicer than I was anticipating, this is more like a little town than anything else, and the inhabitants are used to having people stay with them as this is supposedly also used in birthright journeys. Alright, well, its almost 9 so I think its time to sleep--up before the sun tomorrow!